Sectional wagon-bottom.



Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

9 l0 Wm M H w 0 m v M DN m Wwm O s BWn m IL S M m n N OT. m u 8 MELVILLES. BOWDISH, OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA.

SECTIONAL WAGON-BOTTOM.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1909.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Serial No. 535,168.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVILLE S. Bownrsn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Gatos, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in SectionalWagon- Bottoms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wagons.

It is especially designed for wagons adapted to convey gravel and likeloose material.

It consists in the employment of a series of transversely hingedtiltable boards, and means by which they may be simultaneously broughtto a level, or disengaged to discharge a load. I It also comprises thecombination of parts and details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section.Fig. 3 is a cross section on line ma2 Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of a bottom section.

It is the object of my invention to provide a means for more rapidly andconveniently discharging loads of loose separable material, such asgravel, and to readily return the bottom boards to their normal positionand lock them as soon as the load has been discharged.

As shown, the wagon-body A may be of any usual or suitable constructionfor the purpose. The bottom-boards or planks 2 are made of anysufficient convenient width, and of a length suflicient to extend acrossbelow the edges of the wagon sides, projecting far enough to receive theoperating devices. These operating devices consist of bell-crank levers3, of which there will be preferably a pair to each bottom board. Thebottom boards are clamped to these levers by suitable clamping bolts, asshown at 4:, and the angles of the levers are pivoted to the sides asshown at 5, so that the tilting of these angular levers about theirfulcrum rods or bolts will either bring the boards into alinement toform a close bottom, or may tilt them down into position, which willallow the contents previously resting upon the bottom to readily escape.The upper ends of the levers 3 are connected by rods 6 upon each side ofthe wagon body so that all the levers will move in unison.

At the rear end of the body I have shown levers 7 centrally fulcrumed tothe upper part of the wagon sides, and the lower endsof the levers areconnected by independent links 8 with the rearmost ends of the side bars6,,and the upper ends of the levers 3. From the upper end of one ofthese levers a rod 9 extends forwardly, and connects with a lever 10fulcrumed at the lower end of the w. 'on side, and adapted to engagewith a suf ciently strong segmental rack 11. Thus, when the lever isthrown forward it will act through the levers 7 to draw the upper endsof the rods 6 back until the bottom boards 2 are in a horizontalposition with their edges registering so as to form in connection withthe1 sides a tight receptacle for loose materia The levers 7 locatedupon opposite sides of the wagon body may be connected with a shaft towhich they are keyed or locked so that both levers will turn together.

In order to allow the bottom boards 2, which are of considerablethickness, to form a proper joint with each other, it will be noted thatthey have a certain forward and back movement by reason of their beinglocated below the pivot pins 5, so that when swung up into horizontalposition, they will also be moved forward so that the front edge of eachrear board will contact with the rear of the board in front. The rearedges of these boards are chamfered or beveled ofl as shown at 12, andthese chamfered edges allow the rear ends of the boards to move upwardlyaround the pivot pins, and they act as stops to arrest the boards whenthese beveled edges strike the lower edges of the wagon sides.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patl. The combination in a wagon body of vertical sides,parallel transverse bottom boards having a length greater than thedistance between the sides, beyond which sides they extend, angle leversfulcrumed to the wagon sides having their normally horizontal armsbolted to the ends of the bottom boards and the other arms extending upoutside the wagon sidcs, manually actuated levers, and rods connectinsaid angle levers to said manually actuated levers, said bottom boardshaving beveled surfaces to limit the opening movement of said boards.

2. The combination in a wagon body of vertical sides, paralleltransverse bottom boards having their rear edges beveled to boardsextending beyond the sides and havinsure a free opening and closingmovement. ing their rear upper surfaces beveled in the In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set planes of the sides, exterior bell cranklevers my hand in: the presence of two subscribing 5 having theirnormallly hoizontal arms fixed witnesses.

to the bottom boar s, an their other arms connected to a manuallyoperated lever, said MELVILLE BOXVDISH' bell crank levers beingfulcrumed above the lVitnesses: angles so that the boards swing in anarc of ZEDD S. RIGGS,

10 a circle when opening 01" closing, and said C. H. NOBLE.

Copies; on this: patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

